Archive for October, 2016

Prosciutto and Parmesan Spaghetti Squash

By From http://www.pointsinmylife.com/ • Oct 20th, 2016 • Category: Blog Entries.Local

Talk about savory! Talk about healthy! Talk about delicious! And all in one dish! Ingredients:- 1 spaghetti squash- 2 Tbs olive oil, divided- 1 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto- 1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped- 1/2 Tbs diced garlic- 2 cups summer squash…



How to Lose Pregnancy Weight After The Baby

By From http://www.daliburgado.com • Oct 18th, 2016 • Category: Blog Entries.Local

So, it’s been 5 and a half weeks. I’m feeling great. I’m back down to the same weight and sometimes a few pounds lighter than I was pre-pregnancy. How in tarnation is that possible?! I’ve been asked several times this week what the heck my secret sauce is, so I posted a quick video on vimeo. Dali’s Secret Sauce to Losing Weight after Giving Birth from Dali Burgado on Vimeo. The secret is diet. What you eat. There. I’m going through a lot of this in a chapter in my upcoming book, but in a nutshell, eating well with consistent activity.



October Rivanna IDPA Match

By From http://www.musingsoverapint.com/ • Oct 18th, 2016 • Category: Blog Entries.Local

It’s that time of year in Virginia when cool mornings give way to warm afternoons. It complicates preparing for a match; vest or fleece jacket for cover garment, long pants or short, t-shirt or flannel shirt? At Saturday’s Rivanna IDPA match, it appear…



Poached Lobster Tails in Spicy Ginger Broth

By From http://www.pointsinmylife.com/ • Oct 17th, 2016 • Category: Blog Entries.Local

This delicate, yet spicy broth adds a unique flavor that is enhanced with each succulent spoonful of fresh lobster meat.Ingredients:- 1 Tbs olive oil- 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper, to your desired spice level- 1 tsp. diced garlic- 1/2 tsp. ground…



A Saint For Our Times: José Sánchez del Río

By From http://www.musingsoverapint.com/ • Oct 17th, 2016 • Category: Blog Entries.Local

I’ve written about José Sánchez del Río previously in these Musings. The fourteen year old boy was martyred for his Catholic faith during Mexico’s Cristeros War on February 10, 1928.  This past Sunday, the young fighter was among seven Saints canonized by Pope Francis.

The story of the Cristeros War is not well-known among American Catholics, but it’s an important and poignant part of history. Sadly, the story is largely ignored in the history books and that’s most assuredly a purposeful oversight.

When people think of the persecution of Catholics, and Christians in general, the impression is often that it happens in far-off lands and long ago. That’s far from reality. The Mexican government’s war on the Catholic faithful took place less than 100 years ago, in 1926 – 1929. And it took place just south of our border.

Another misconception is that our own government would have no part in such abuses. Again, this is disproven by the Cristeros War. The United States supplied arms to the Mexican government for use in the war, and even provided military air cover for the Federales in their battles with the Catholic faithful.

There’s another twist to Saint José Sánchez del Río’s story, and something I find quite interesting. The picture (above) of the young boy with Cristeros fighters is one that I’ve seen hanging in Mexican restaurants, among other old photos. Probably not too many diners know that a Saint and fighter for Catholicism is looking down on them while they eat.
Saint José Sánchez del Río is truly a Saint for our times. His faithfulness in the face of torture and death should be a model for all of us. I pray we can be as strong. 

[ This content originated at Musings Over a Pint ]



Breast Cancer Support 101 For Guys

By From http://odonnellweb.com/pelican/ • Oct 16th, 2016 • Category: Blog Entries.Local

Picture of Michelle

My wife was diagnosed with breast cancer about a month ago. It was a total shock, as it was discovered in her routine annual mammogram. She went in for her yearly check up on a Friday, the following Monday I was taking her to the Women’s Health Center for a biopsy, and a few days after that we met with her OB/GYN to get the biopsy results. A week after that she was in surgery. We went from never really thinking about this stuff to her having cancer in a period of about 90 minutes. There is no training for how to deal with this. There is also no training on how to deal with friends that are dealing with this.

One thing I’ve noticed is the difference in how my wife’s friends and my friends are dealing with the knowledge that she has breast cancer. Her phone pretty much beeps, buzzes, and rings from sunup until bedtime. Her friends, both local and far flung sorority sisters she hasn’t seen in person in 25 years, check in with her constantly to see how she is doing, and just to let her know they are thinking about her. Prior to this post, I’d told probably two dozen people that my wife has cancer, all but one of them guys. Neither of us has made any sort of public announcement, until now. The woman, and exactly two of the guys, have checked back in with me since the initial conversation.

I’m not trying to imply that guys care less. I’m not complaining about my friends. I have no doubt that if I messaged any of them about needing something they would jump on it immediately. We are middle age. My wife and I had kids young and thus we are empty nesters. Most of our friends still have kids at home, and we are all in the prime earning years in our careers. Everybody is busy, and nobody has enough time for their own families, let alone extra cycles for our problems. We are at that age where health problems start to become more real, but not old enough that we all have several cycles of experience dealing with this stuff. I don’t want to get into a debate about women versus men and compassion and sympathy, or gender roles and expectations. I’m sure all that plays a role here. I’m also sure the fear of a “How is she doing?” text being answered with bad news is real. People probably think I’ve got enough to deal with, and don’t have time to be fielding update inquiries. Four weeks ago I’m pretty sure I would have had all those same thoughts.

With my wife fighting cancer, I feel like my job is to be the emotional rock for her to lean on. I’m Mr. Positive Mental Attitude, you are going to beat this, you are stronger than this cancer, etc. Any of you that know me in real life know that Mr. PMA is not my natural state. I’ve joked that staying so positive is mentally draining. I wasn’t actually joking about that. It is draining, especially when combined with trying to focus on my job 40+ hours per work, and the other stresses that real life tends to throw at us, often at the most inopportune times. I’m also doing all of this on less than ideal sleep, as I really haven’t had a decent night’s sleep since the diagnosis. Of course, none of that compares to the pressure my wife is under.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is that if you know somebody that is supporting a partner or other loved one fighting cancer or some other crisis, go ahead and send the text or make the call asking how it’s going. If that person is local to you meet them out for a burger and a beer. They need it, they’ll appreciate it, and since guys are trained their entire lives to not let emotions make decisions for us, they probably aren’t going to tell you they need it.

And as long as I’m telling people what to do, if your partner isn’t getting her annual mammogram, insist that she does. My wife’s mammogram didn’t look that unusual. The breast surgeon said she wouldn’t have flagged it if she was looking at it in a vacuum. However, the software analysis that compared the image to last year’s image did see an an unexpected change, and it was that flag that set in motion the events that led to the diagnosis. Without annual testing we wouldn’t know she has cancer. She has no symptoms.

Because of the early diagnosis odds are good this story will have a happy ending. If “You don’t actually have cancer” is the best diagnosis, my wife’s diagnosis is probably second or third on the list of things you want to hear when you have breast cancer. This also means that friend of yours whose wife or sister is battling cancer right now probably needs that text or call way more than I ever did.

So do it. Now.

(cross posted to Medium



Jeff Fitzpatrick, RIP

By From http://www.musingsoverapint.com/ • Oct 15th, 2016 • Category: Blog Entries.Local

I am saddened to receive word that Blue & Gray Brewing founder and craft beer pioneer Jeff Fitzpatrick passed away on Friday. Founded by Jeff in 2002, Blue & Gray was the first craft brewery in the Fredericksburg area. The annual St. Patri…



Wifely Wisdom

By From http://www.musingsoverapint.com/ • Oct 14th, 2016 • Category: Blog Entries.Local

I was telling Colleen I had some things I wanted to do around the house Saturday morning, but there was also an IDPA match at Rivanna in the morning. In her wisdom, she replied…”Do you want to shoot or do you want to do chores?”Well, when you put it …



2016 Presidential Endorsement

By From http://odonnellweb.com/pelican/ • Oct 9th, 2016 • Category: Blog Entries.Local, Politics

In the storied 20 year history of ODonnellWeb we have never endorsed a candidate for any office. However, the events of 2016 leave us no choice but to endorse Hillary Clinton for President. The simple fact is that she is the only one running even remo…



Shrimp and Potato Corn Chowder

By From http://www.pointsinmylife.com/ • Oct 9th, 2016 • Category: Blog Entries.Local

One of my favorite things to do is change up recipes to make the dishes a lot easier to prepare. Like this recipe for an amazing shrimp and potato corn chowder that I came across today. The original recipe indicated it took 8 hours to make this. I made it in less than 30 minutes, and it is fantastic! Seasoned perfectly, this creamy chowder, with bites of shrimp and corn, will very much please your palate and have you coming back for more!

Ingredients:

– 2 cups chicken stock (or homemade bone broth)
– 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
– 1/2 tsp. salt
– 1/2 tsp. pepper
– 1 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme
– 2 cups frozen corn, thawed and divided
– 1/2 cup of half and half 
– 2 Tbs butter, divided
– 1/4 tsp. Old Bay seasoning 
– 1 Tbs diced fresh chives, plus a little more for a garnish
– 1/2 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined – Tip* if you don’t have a great place to get fresh shrimp, you can also buy frozen already peeled, deveined, and cooked shrimp as well.

In a medium to large sauce pan or dutch oven, heat chicken stock over medium-high heat. Add potatoes, salt, pepper, thyme, and one cup corn. Stir until potatoes are soft. Transfer to a blender and with the lid slightly open to allow steam to escape and holding a towel over the top, begin blending on low and increase the speed slowly until the potatoes and corn are completely blended. Return mixture to the sauce pan and add half and half, one tablespoon of butter, the remaining cup of corn, and the Old Bay seasoning. Turn down heat to low. In a skillet over medium-high heat, add remaining 1 tablespoon of butter shrimp. Sauté until shrimp turn pink and are done, stirring occasionally. Divide the soup into bowls and add shrimp on top along with a little more chives for garnish. Enjoy! If you’d like a printer-friendly version of this recipe, Click Here.

“Be the type of person you want to meet.” – Anonymous